Hypno's Naptime (Japanese: スリーパーとポケモンがえり！？Sleeper and Pokémon Hypnotism!?) is the 27th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on September 30, 1997 and in the United States on October 13, 1998.

Contents

Blurb

Our heroes come to a town in which a great deal of children have recently turned up missing. Working together with Jenny to search for these children, they begin an investigation at the Pokémon Center, inquiring into the disappearances, but Joy has other concerns. For some reason, the Pokémon in the Center aren't getting well at all. Jenny reveals that a mysterious sleep wave has been passing in and out of the town for several days. Our heroes suspect a connection between the missing children and the Pokémon's poor condition. Team Rocket begins a sinister search of their own for the source of these strange occurrences. What could be the cause of this sleep wave?

Plot

Ash and his friends arrive in a new city filled with skyscrapers, HopHopHop Town. As they are walking the streets, a woman runs up, calling for her son, Arnold, and embracing Ash by mistake. Once Ash clears up the misunderstanding, the crew learns that the woman's son, Arnold, as well as many other children have all disappeared. Officer Jenny pulls up to add another missing child poster, and Brock immediately volunteers to help solve the mystery. Ash is reminded of his own mother and takes it upon himself to solve the mystery. It turns out the children have all been missing for the past three days. The crew arrive at the Pokémon Center, and begin asking around. Nurse Joy then reveals another mystery. The Pokémon in the center have all lost their energy as of three days ago. Suddenly, a device on Officer Jenny's hip starts beeping. Jenny explains that she is tracking sleep waves that have been appearing in the city.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket is also tracking the source of the sleep waves. They have arrived at this city, and they are plotting to snatch the source in order to put the Boss to sleep. While he is asleep, they plan to take a vacation. The scene ends as they all weep about not having had a vacation in so long. Ash and group track the sleep waves to the roof of an enormous skyscraper. As they step off the elevator, they discover a huge mansion at the end of a trimmed walkway. Ash takes initiative and he and Brock burst through the door. To their surprise, there is a formal gathering of well dressed adults, and a podium on which rest Drowzee and Hypno. The adults explain that their old Drowzee finally evolved to Hypno three days ago, and they have been using Hypno's sleep waves instead of sleeping pills. Finally, a man explains that they are the members of the Pokémon Lover's Club, who have all grown to love Hypno the most. They had been working hard so that their Drowzee would evolve. Apparently, the city life is stressful on the members, and so they have turned into insomniacs. The only cure they could find was Hypno's sleep waves.

However, as Brock deduces, Hypno's hypnosis is generally used on Pokémon. When altered to affect people, it has side affects that cause Pokémon to lose energy, and possibly affect extra sensitive kids. Misty, curious as to this last idea, allows herself to be hypnotized by Hypno. Hypno starts its Hypnosis and she suddenly begins acting like a Seel, and runs out of the mansion, and into the park surrounding the mansion. It opens up into a clearing revealing not only Misty, but all the missing children, acting like Pokémon. Brock explains that the affliction, "Pokémonitis," caused by Hypno's waves, is causing all the children to believe they are Pokémon. Officer Jenny attempts to awaken the children from their hypnosis, but it is of no use. The head of the club suggests using Drowzee's sleep attacks to induce dream wavelengths to counteract Hypno's wavelengths.

Back in the mansion, Drowzee uses its ability to put Misty into a trance. Finally, it claps, awakening Misty from both the trance, and the hypnosis. Relieved that this solution worked, Ash carries Drowzee back to the clearing to cure the other children. En route, Team Rocket soars down from the sky on hang gliders, reciting the motto, with a snappy, "Meowth, that's flight!" On the ground, Jessie pulls out a mirror, and they try to get Hypno to hypnotize itself. Ash, with some fast thinking, throws a potted plant, smashing the mirror. Not yet finished, Team Rocket breaks out the whips and snares Drowzee and Hypno. When asked why they didn't start off with this strategy Jessie remarks, "We have to fill the half hour." Ash holds onto Drowzee while Misty cuts the whips with Staryu. Ash calls Pidgeotto to gust Team Rocket away. With the Rockets out of the way, they use Drowzee to cure the children, who awaken, and run home. Also the woman from the beginning runs up and embraces her son as well. They head back to the Pokémon Center and cure the Pokémon there. Misty wonders what they dream about. Brock suspects they dream of getting stronger and evolving.

Nurse Joy then sighs that Psyduck is still holding its head. Brock, as a Pokémon Breeder, volunteers to take it, but shortly after heading out, attempts to foist it off on Misty, claiming that as a Water-type Pokémon, it should go to her. Misty does not want such a boring Pokémon, and refuses. Ash's Pokédex reports that Psyduck always has a headache, and Misty, in a fit of shock trips over a rock and a Poké Ball rolls out of her bag in front of the unfortunate Pokémon. Psyduck pecks the Ball, and is caught, much to Misty's dismay.

Originally, Ash's flashback about his mom was from Beauty and the Beach; but was later changed to a clip from Pokemon - I Choose You! after the episode aired in Japan for an unknown reason. Since 4Kids! receives the version from the original airing, the Beauty and the Beach clip was carried over into the dub, despite the episode being initially banned. This is often mistaken as a dub edit.

When Meowth goes in front on the mirror, he sings, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the sleepiest of them all," which is a reference to Snow White.

Errors

Nurse Joy's hair

The rings in Nurse Joy's hair are colored in the center when they should be left clear.

One of the members of the Pokémon Lovers Club says: "Why don't we use Drowzee to cure the children? Sleep emits dream wavelengths which in this case may counteract Hypno's Wavelengths". He uses Drowzee's Japanese name (Sleep) instead of its western name in the English dub.

When Nurse Joy is holding Cubone and Oddish, the yellow spot on Cubone is missing.

The Pokémon Lovers Club is the Japanese name of the Pokémon Fan Club, and was left unchanged for the English dub.

When Misty is holding Pikachu, her suspender is missing.

Dub edits

The writing on the posters was replaced by dots.

The exchange between Ash and Misty was a bit different between the two versions. Misty originally says that she'd better watch out for kidnappers due to her being cute. Ash acts confused, then Misty says "What?!", and Ash then grudgingly mentions that she's cute and she'd better watch out. In the dub, this was changed to Misty mentioning that she'll be on these posters when she's a movie star, and Ash mentioning that she may be a star of horror films.

The echo in the Pokémon Center and the Pokémon Lovers Club was dub added.

Misty asking if Officer Jenny's "Sleep Wave" detector's beep was her radio was originally supposed to be her cell phone; cellphones weren't nearly as common when this episode aired in English as they are today or were in Japan.

The PLC Gentleman mentioned in the dub that Hypno became their favorite. Originally, he mentioned that Drowzee and Hypno were their favorites.

Brock's statement about the kids and Misty suffering from "Pokémon-itis" was originally meant to be Pokémon Gaeri (a reference to the hypnotic condition atavistic regression).

Originally, Jessie doesn't break the fourth wall. Instead, she says that James should stop complaining.

The statements about what the kids want to be when they grow up were different between the two versions. The kids who say they wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer, Fireman, and Doctor originally wanted to be a Pokémon Master, Pilot, and The World's Best Cook, respectively.

Misty's reply to Brock's statement about what the Pokémon dream about was originally her saying that she bets that battling, growing stronger, and evolution aren't the only things they probably dream about. In the dub, they changed it to her saying she "gets those dreams as well".

In the scene where Misty catches Psyduck, there is a two second shot of Misty, Pikachu, and Brock hopping sideways that was cut.